AN- Welp, Shinji's bitten the bullet. Alas, we barely knew thee. Probably for the best…
Chapter 5
"Welcome home~" came the cheerful voice of Medea as we returned to our hotel room. The Caster was sat at the desk, happily humming as she worked. To her left were ingredients: plants, roots, trinkets and oddities of all kind to be used in her Magecraft. To her right, were what seemed to be the end results of her B Rank Item Creation skill. "I have had quite a productive day, might I add!"
"I can see that you have. Those look good." I complemented.
"Heheh. Thanks." She rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "I've worked hard, you know! I might not be quite as good in a fight as Boudica here, but as a Caster I am top notch! Since I awoke, I've been working non-stop on these."
"What are they, anyway?" the Rider asked, going to pick up one of the vials before Medea slapped her hand away.
"Weeeell, this ring finds them, and this one brings them all and in the darkness, binds them!" she gleefully pointed out.
"Now Medea, I know my fantasy literature quotes, and if that's the One Ring I'll eat my metaphorical hat. What do they really do?"
"Buzzkill." She clicked her tongue at me. "Fine. Serious time, I guess. The big thing I have here is this." She threw the ring she'd been proclaiming the One at me. "Communication ring. I know you're a bit of a… novice… at Magecraft, so I figured that the ability to telepathically get in contact with both of us could come in really handy."
"Thank you." I slipped the ring on. ["Can you hear me?"]I thought loudly, focussing on an image of Medea in my mind.
["Yup. There you go. Nice and easy to use. Just picture the person, and it should work!"]
By now, Medea was already moving onto the rest of her creations. "Then we have these vials. They're healing potions! Never know when they'll come in handy! That one over there is a paralytic! I don't much like hurting people, and poison is a weapon I don't much like either, but this should do the trick if we do have to commit to underhand tactics, though I would be very disappointed if we needed to!"
My Rider gave me a pointed look. I pretended not to see her and whistled innocently.
"Oh! And we have one last thing! A bit of a rushed job on my end… but go ahead and try it on!" she hurriedly placed a simple necklace around my neck. It was cheap- tacky in many regards. But it had been made with care, and for my sake so I smiled and accepted it.
"What does it do?"
"It's a shield charm." She told me. "It won't seriously stop a Servant that wants to kill you, but it should hold up against a Master's attacks for awhile. You might even be able to block a passing shot from a Servant too, if you're fast enough! Merely chant teíchos and run some Prana through it and it will produce a spherical shield around you. Be aware that the shield and charm are sympathetically linked. When one breaks, so does the other."
She'd impressed me. They were nothing but trinkets really, but it was the little things that mattered the most, sometimes. This was likely going to save my life someday, as would those potions. She wasn't going to be facing down Berserker Hercules anytime soon, but Medea would be protecting me in so many other ways, all the same. "Good job." I told her with an honest grin.
She smiled in return. "No problem! I'm happy to help! Now, how did your day go?"
"Well, I kinda killed a guy- he was a Master, but a real asshole- and apart from that unexpected incident, things went fine since I did everything I set out to acc…" but then I stopped mid-sentence. I'd been about to say: 'I did everything I set out to accomplish', but I hadn't, had I? There were three objectives: Rin, Shinji and Shirou. "Mother fucker! I forgot about Shirou!"
"Who?" Medea asked.
"Shioru!"
"Who?"
"I said- Shirou!"
Again, Medea blinked in confusion. "And he is?"
"Look, he's not important." I instead sighed- this was just going to go on.
Again, she was perfectly able to capture that almost childlike innocence in her voice. "Then why does it matter if it's not important?"
"No! He is important, but I was mostly just trying to skip the whole immature conversation I saw coming. Point is, I wanted to see a guy, but I didn't see the guy."
"Oh well. There's always tomorrow!"
She had a point.
"So, Master, what do we do now?" Boudicia asked me, flopping onto the bed. "I've been a Queen, but never really a thinker. I merely led my people; I had people to do the majority of the planning for me. So, since we're absent a general and you are the Master here, I suppose you're the closest thing we have. So, what's our next move?"
"I'm not too sure yet." I confessed. "To me, today was all about reconnaissance. Double check what I know, and scope out the competition. The fact that I killed Shinji was honestly a surprise."
"Shinji who?" Medea queried.
"Doesn't matter this time because he's dead." I said- with perhaps the tiniest of satisfaction in my tone. I regretted his manner of death, but not necessarily me killing him. He certainly wouldn't be causing much harm to anyone anymore.
"Huh. That was quick."
"Yup. One Master down. Admittedly his Servant is still in play, but she's in the hands of a more sensible Master." More moral, definitely, but only if you've been lucky enough to have stayed the fuck away from the Heavens Feel route. "But the point is- I'm still trying to figure it out."
"Well then, perhaps we should start considering you Summoning another Servant." Boudica suggested, face still buried into the bed.
"Bad idea." Medea replied. "I've been thinking about it, you see. About the Grail. When we're summoned, we're told a lot about the War by the system itself, but it's clear that we-" she gestured between us. "are not normal. I don't know much about the Greater Grail, and would honestly love to get a chance to see it up close-" HAH! NO CHANCE WITH ELDER MEDEA THERE. "but I don't think the Grail could handle such massive Prana drains as an addition seven Servants without dire consequences."
"What are you saying then?" I motioned for her to continue, and to get to the point.
She rolled her eyes, but complied- deeming us worthy of skipping what would have been a large textbook recital. "Long story short, I don't think that we're supported by the Greater Grail, but rather an external source. You've got a massive Prana capacity Master, and could likely support quite a few Servants permanently, maybe even all seven if you were willing to lose almost all of your Prana, but if you were the pure supplier the effect on you would be more noticeable. We still have another power source. But we shouldn't try to pressure that source too much. We don't know what it is, where it is, or just how much Prana it provides. So, until then, I think we should be cautious, discrete and less aggressive… at least until we have a full roster."
… I never thought I'd see the day where Medea of Colchis promoted caution, discretion and non-aggression. Truly, tis a mighty fine day. "So then doc, what's the prognosis?"
"At least a day between Summons." She informed me sternly. "I'd prefer two, but I'm not a fool. I'm aware that we're going to need those reinforcements sooner rather than later. You summoned twice yesterday, so I would recommend we wait until tomorrow evening to summon the next one, to properly account for that."
"Fair enough. I can live with that. We'll just play defensively for a little while longer."
"I recommend we scout tonight, then." Chimed in Boudica. "I don't like sitting around, doing nothing. I'd be much happier if we go out and learned the battlefield we'll be fighting upon soon."
That was a strategy I could get on board with. I couldn't escape the Grail War, therefore I was going to survive, if not win the War. "Excellent. I want to start looking for a new base anyway."
"Awwwww. But I just finished Warding this place!" Argued Medea, her lower lip trembling adorably.
"Yes, but it's hardly large enough for eight, is it? And we could get attacked anytime now. Who knows when we'll be forced to abandon base?"
"Fine." Medea didn't look happy with my judgement, but she understood.
A simple reconnaissance mission? I could handle that. "Okay. We'll wait until its dark, and then we'll head on out. I'll patrol with Rider, while you can stay in reserve Caster. Since we can talk now, it should be easy to alert you to bail us out if we need you."
"A-Okay!" Medea agreed, while Boudica offered a thumbs up.
I clapped my hands together in satisfaction. "Excellent! Now rest up, because tonight we're gonna be busy."
XXXXXXXXXX
We'd been patrolling for hours, by this point in time. Progress by walking was deemed slow, since we wanted to cover the entire city, while Boudica was unwilling to blatantly reveal her Class by riding her mount, so instead we had switched to Boudica carrying me bridal style. Yes, it was embarrassing, and she made sure to tease me relentlessly about it, but it was fast.
Either way, we'd managed to cover the entirety of the eastern side of the city. The harbours had looked promising, and we'd managed to find an abandoned warehouse that was structurally sound, easily defensible and seemed out of the way enough for use. A few charms and a subtle Bounded Field to incite a passive 'ahah! I had forgotten to do this and need to do it right now!' reaction later, and the warehouse looked like it would be ready for us to retreat to if ever we required it.
Along the way we'd managed to scout out some other key areas: we saw Lancer skulking about sullenly in the darkness from afar near the church (Thanks to the scrying capabilities of Caster), managed to track down the fancy-pants area of the city Rin's house was likely to be within and which also meant we'd be able to track down the Matou's if we really needed to (Since Zouken wasn't going to off himself anytime soon).
Next stop- the temple, which was dead ahead. We only needed to head up a flight of stairs, and we'd be there. I was dreading it. More accurately, I was dreading Young!Medea learning about her Elder self.
"Okay. That temple has a natural anti-spiritual Bounded Field surrounding it, so it would make a good place for a Master to hole up in. Let's just check it quickly and move on. If its empty, we could consider making a base of it." Caster whispered to me.
"Thanks Medea. We should consider it." Now, if only we lived in Bizarro World where Caster was nothing but an adoring housewife with an Otaku Saber fetish...
"Put me down." Rider complied, putting me down and taking on a position at the front. "Be careful. Those trees would be an excellent hiding place for a Servant."
"Got it." And with that, the Servant of the Mount drew her blade and began to walk up the steps, with myself only a few paces behind. I knew what we'd find. I really did. But I just needed to double check that this was still the same.
Then, at the very top of the steps, a man manifested out of nowhere. Clad in the purple robes of a samurai, with katana sheathed at his side. His hair blew in the wind, and he stood defiantly before the entrance to the temple.
"I am afraid that if you wish to enter, I will be required to stop you." Sasaki Kojiro confessed. "I beg that you choose to challenge me. I have been waiting for a good fight for awhile now, and you look like you know how to swing that sword."
"I do." Boudica admitted, settling into a defensive stance.
"No." I shook my head. "Now isn't the time for a fight. I've got what I wanted."
"Oh, and what is that, boya?" The Servant asked me.
I knew that the False Assassin was here, ergo the Witch was too. Older!Medea was about as canon as canon could be if canon could be shot from a cannon. "Tell the Witch I said hi, and that she needs better guard dogs."
Assassin began to cackle, unable to hold back his laughter. "Sure, I'll tell her. Though, I'm afraid that I will have to get you back for that last comment when we fight. I eagerly await your return."
And he did. Sasaki was a man who longed only for the thrill of battle, to make his Wraithlike existence meaningful through his skills. He could see it in my eyes- he knew that I would return.
XXXXXXXXXX
It was at the dead of night, when the moon was as its brightest and I was in the arms of my Servant, that I saw her. She was beautiful and deadly, and stood waiting in the road before our hotel for us. I recognised her- how could I not? She was a very distinctive character, and was most well-known for how bullshit-ridiculous her Class was.
Jeanne d'Arc waited for me before my temporary abode, as if she had been loitering there for hours- patiently knowing I'd return.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aberration." She greeted us, smiling ever so slightly, while I quickly pulled myself from Boudica's grip. Her eyes were like knives- it felt like I was being judged and analysed on a microscopic level, as if she could see past each and every façade I put forwards. But there was also a kindness to her from the act, as if she only wished to see in order to fix. Such was the nature of a saint-like person.
"Huh!? Who the heck is that! I didn't sense her at all! It's as if my detection spell just skimmed right over her!" Medea shouted, unaware of just how on point she was. Motherfucking EX Magic Resistance, after all.
"I'd like to say the same." Very much so. Jeanne d'Arc was a true Hero by any other name, and there wasn't a bad bone in her body. Unfortunately, the problem was that I was meeting her to begin with.
Ruler should not appear in the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars.
"In my defence, it's not like I meant to break the rules by having the potential to summon seven Servants." I felt the need to protest under the weight of that gaze. "Honestly, I would have left Fuyuki without a second glance and stayed clear of the War if I had the chance. I was just… well…"
"Unlucky." Concluded Ruler, knowingly. "It is truly not your fault that you are here after all. Here you are though, all the same."
"Excuse me, but would you please identify your Class?" My Rider demanded, as politely as she could.
"Of course. I am Servant Ruler. I had assumed you knew me, considering how your Master already did."
"There is no such Class." Argued Boudica.
"Yeah! I think I'd know if there was such a Class, considering I'm a Caster and what not!"
"I'm afraid there is." I told her. "If the Holy Grail is a War, then Ruler is the 'gamesmaster'- a laidback one happy to let the game progress as it wants, but only for as long as the players aren't being cheating Munchkins about the whole thing. If this was an MMORPG, she's the horribly OP character the GM's use to punish someone for cheating with. Honestly, she's broken as fuck, and she shouldn't be here."
"Master… what's going on? How do you know this? How do you know her?" Caster asked, though I could not respond.
"Then again, none of us here should be." Ruler concluded sadly.
You know, it was a shame that she was being so damn nice about all this. It kinda made it hard for me to dislike her, considering she was likely here to kill me since I was an 'Aberration'. "Just one quick question. Are you here to kill us or not?"
She shook her head.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what are you here for?"
"To warn you."
"And isn't that just ominous." I grumbled. "I mean really, you can never just be here for a chat and a cup of tea."
"I'll never understand the British obsession with tea." She sighed. "But no. I am Ruler. I am here on business, though I wish you no ill will."
"Ruler…" Boudica began, tasting the unfamiliar title in her mouth. "I ask of you, why are you here? What is your warning?"
"To prepare yourself. And to summon your Servants, Aberration. You may not have wished to participate, but the fact remains is that through unknown means you have infiltrated the Holy Grail War, and in doing so have become a threat to the ritual itself. Consequently, a state of Apocrypha has been announced. It has been decided: teams of Blue and Red shall fight for the Holy Grail, and work individually to eliminate the anomalous Grey Team. The Command Seals have been dispatched, the Church representative has been warned and is preparing to alert the Blue team, having already passed along the changes in circumstances to the Red team, and now little time remains."
Each and every word she spoke was like another slap to the face. My worst fear was realised- the thing I wanted to happen the least has occurred. Apocrypha: seven more Masters, seven more unknown Servants, and far more chances for the plot to go off the rails. The stations of canon are on the verge of demolition, for there would be no way of predicting how things would change with so many new pieces on the board.
There was just one thing I had to check. A single fact I needed to know before we move on.
"Ruler, there is one more thing I need to ask." I interrupted the French girl.
"Of course- ask what you will." She replied pleasantly, with a doting look of acceptance.
"Is the Grail Corrupt? Is it a chalice filled with all of mankind's Evils, or is it not?" At this point in time, I was almost certain. I hadn't seen any non-canonical details so far, and I doubted they'd only crop up now. But I had to be certain. I needed to know.
Joan of Arc gave me the most radiant smile imaginable. "Have no fear, Aberration. For a Miracle has occurred. The Fuyuki Greater Grail… is clean."
My smile split my face, and I couldn't hold back the fact that I had tears of relief at the corners of my eyes. There was no Angra Mainyu. There was no Angra Mainyu. There would be no end of the world here today! I didn't hold the burden of humanities future upon my back. I didn't have to worry about making sure the world was saved. If Atlas were able to put down his load of the sky, he wouldn't be half as relieved as I presently were.
"Rejoice, Master of the Holy Grail War, for the chance for a miracle rests within the palms of your hands. The situation is unusual, and your presence a complication, but I cannot judge one with a wish they sincerely wish to see fulfilled unless it could destroy the world. Rejoice, for there is not one wish on the line now… but potentially three."
It was funny. The original core concept of Fate Stay Night that attracted me was the wishes. People fighting by the sides of legends to claim a wish, desperate to see a miracle come to fruition. Yet, this concept had been distorted over time. Every time I rewatched the series, or read some new fanfiction, I could only consider the corruption. The dreams and wishes were unimportant- they could never be fulfilled with such a Monkey's Paw granting them.
And yet, now… "Now… this is a game that can afford to be won. This is no longer a struggle of man against All The World's Evils, but merely man against man."
"Yes. You may pursue victory without fear, Aberration. The Grail may oppose you and call forth enemies to vanquish you, and may be actively willing to reward those that bring you low… but if you overcome them… then the Grail will absolutely grant you a miracle."
With her warning delivered, and her purpose fulfilled, Servant Ruler turned away without another word and began to walk away into the night. It had taken but a single conversation to shatter my entire perception of this war.
Apocrypha.
The Clean Grail.
The Grail War returned to its purest ideal, a War for a wish…
… and perhaps a problem that while not as world threatening as the end of the world, was still just as problematic.
"Oh no." I whispered. "Ahh… shit."
Because there was no corruption in the Greater Grail. There was nothing stopping someone making a clean, untainted wish with no consequences. Consequently…
Why would anybody agree to stop fighting the Holy Grail War?
When Angra Mainyu was in play, it was far easier to get a 'Good Ending' for everyone, since everybody needed to unite together against a common threat. Since the Grail could not grant a wish without destruction, it therefore needed to be destroyed, and meant that there was no need to kill each other for said wish. Everyone could give up and go home, because nobody was dumb enough to want to wish upon the cursed chalice (While those that were could be killed, leaving the majority of people we actually care about untouched)
But hold on- didn't we just clarify that Angra Mainyu was gone?
"Thus, we are fucked."
People will do anything for a wish, to get that miracle they desire oh so much. The Fourth War had proved that much. And now there will be 21 Servants total for the Fifth War. If it takes six Servants to fuel a wish, and seven to reach Akasha, then that means there are three total wishes on offer (If the last seven standing were also willing to fight to the death too).
This War may not lead to the death of the world, but it likely will end with the deaths of most of its competitors, for nothing is more preciously sought after than a Miracle.
"We are about to enter the bloodiest Fuyuki Grail War since its conception. This is gonna be a massacre."
